How the Traffic Light can improve your life

It’s funny how some ‘sharp’ Nigerians Disrespect the Traffic Light – especially the Stop sign. It’s a really simple instruction – red says STOP. Yet, you would see some people speed pass as soon as the red light shows up. And afterwards feel like they are some sort of a super-hero if they are not caught. Just like a commercial Danfo driver displayed today before my very eyes.

As individuals, they’re certain behaviours and attitudes that if we put a stop to, just like the Red traffic Light, our lives would be much better.

But really, think about how much effort you put into routines, situations and people that are not actually benefiting your life.
The truth is – when you stop chasing the wrong things, you give
the right things a chance to catch you.

Imagine how refreshed you’d feel when you put a STOP to these behaviours:

– Running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately moulds us into the person we become. Abi?

– Spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

– Lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

– Exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.

– Thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

–Getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

– Trying to compete with people. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.

– Being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. You really dont have to be jelous of anyone.

– Hating others. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.

– Blaming others. – The extent to which you can achieve whatever you want to achieve depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.

– Trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

And ofcourse, stop disobeying Traffic Light! (if you have developed that habit).

4 thoughts on “How the Traffic Light can improve your life”

wow,…putting a full stop to these things surely elevate us in life. I was truly blessed and refreshed by this post Emeka. Its really how we measure our success like you clearly stated.
I have decided today to put a stop to those things again. No room for small thinking atal. I’m a King and I’m kinging by God’s grace.
On the other hand, me I have missed you on my blog ooh.
Thank you for this great post dear.